


2241

by Frogmentarii



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Courier (fallout) - Freeform, Courier Six - Freeform, Gen, Violence, i guess since i have to tag fandom ill tag with courier too, its pretty light overall so unless you have a real aversion to this shit youre probably kosher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22596085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frogmentarii/pseuds/Frogmentarii
Summary: Emilia pays a visit to her recent host family. Things go alright.
Kudos: 6





	2241

**Author's Note:**

> So this is me starting up writing again. Likely this will be part of a small collection of Emi's past, one I hope to highlight a few areas I feel are important to her character. The aim is to make these pretty stand alone so you can pick them up from wherever. I may add dates to the start of these rather than as the titles.  
> Fuckin-- shout out to JejuneSins for helping edit this, and I guess for getting me back into writing in general. Seriously, go check her stuff out.

_Knock knock knock knock..._

Emilia stepped back, tapping her foot while she waited. Despite the last light having left the sky she knew they were awake. It would be just after dinner clean up for them, a thought that made her huff. Yes, how sacred they held their schedule and how damn awful it would be for anything to break it. It was a privilege only those with stability had, she supposed, but it was also convenient for her. She wouldn’t be ungrateful for it. 

_Knock knock knock_

This time she heard something stir. She gripped the handle of her fire axe harder, her knuckles whitening as she attempted to focus her anxieties elsewhere. Another part of her felt grateful for being pushed to this point. Words had failed her before, not that they were her strong suit anyway, but the only thing required of her now was action. That was something she could do and it was something she didn’t require them to agree upon.

_Knock knock kno--_

“Yes?” A voice from behind the door. Of course it was him. It would be expected for the man to check on unsolicited knockings during the evening. But she knew him, and she knew that--despite keeping appearances--he only dealt in managing. All rules, no grit. Yet another thing to be grateful for.

“Please, Antonio.” Her voice shook as she spoke. 

“Emilia? We told you, no more. Not here, you have a place at the shelter--”

“Just let me see her.”

“You need to leave.”

_“Please.”_

A moment passed, and she heard a click. Emilia held her breath before slamming her shoulder into the door and sending Antonio tumbling back. She didn’t hesitate, pushing into the house and bringing the axe down on his head. He groaned, limply reaching out to grab the blade, causing Emilia to jolt back. He groaned again, and though the blade had shifted, it did not dislodge. Emilia shook the handle, desperately attempting to free the axe. 

“Anton--My god!” 

A familiar voice snapped Emi’s attention away from her task. Her. _That bitch_ , Emilia thought. Anger, both past and present, flooded out any fear she had. Not breaking eye contact, Emilia adjusted her grip on the handle before placing her foot on Antonio’s neck. She heaved up with determination, cracking his skull but still not removing the blade. The sound snapped the woman out of her trance and she screamed, running towards the back halls of the house. 

This didn’t deter Emilia, she knew where the woman was heading, what she was about to do, and still determined, she yanked the axe up again, this time with better luck. The blade gave, blood steadily streaming from the gorge in his skull, and another tug set it free. With her weapon back in hand, Emilia cautiously stalked towards the back of the house. Though dark, Emilia knew the interior well. She had lived here, after all. For about five months, up to a few days before they had kicked her out. Sad; for all their flaws, they weren’t a bad family, but they had crossed a line that Emilia couldn’t let stand. 

Letting her eyes adjust to the hall, she considered her options. Across from her was a bedroom; to her right, a storage room. The woman would only have time to hide in one of them. Emilia glanced at the door of the storage room, knowing full well that if the woman ran in there, she’d have a weapon. A practical choice, but Emilia turned her gaze to the bedroom, stepping forward. 

Weapon or not, a mother’s first instinct would be to protect her children.

She reached for the handle, stepping back as she pushed the door open. Darkness, hushed sobs, and the grumpy coos of a baby. Her heart leapt; despite this she stayed at the door frame. 

“I told you what I wanted,” she stated, unmoving. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same.” 

Silence, save for the increasingly fussy baby. Emilia chewed her lip, her resolve slowly cracking with each whine from the infant. 

“You understand what happens now, si?” she called out again. Taking a step forward, she cautiously peered past the door. “Manny? Where is your mother at, eh?”

Emilia slowly continued into the room. Though small, it was not well lit, and every shadow served as a possible shroud to hide in. With another step forward, a sharp pain dug into her shoulder; with a yelp she jerked away, feeling the jab turn into a tear as she whipped around, swinging her axe. She missed, losing her balance with the momentum. 

“ _Bitch_.” The woman stabbed at Emilia again, now openly sobbing. Instinctively, Emilia brought her arms up, and the pen bit into her flesh again. She kicked out, sending the woman backwards onto the little bed. Regaining both her balance and bearings, Emilia closed the distance between them. Both children were wailing now, and in spite of the chaos, the woman kept screaming for her son to take the baby and run, to go to their neighbors, to do anything but stay here. 

Ignoring the children, Emilia brought down her axe, this time catching the woman at the crook of her neck. The axe freed easily, and she brought it down again, severing the woman’s windpipe. No longer able scream, her hollow wheezes slowly dissolved into wet, heavy thuds as Emilia brought the axe down again and again, until eventually her adrenaline subsided.

Her heavy breathing filled the room, and in a distant part of the house Emilia could still hear the baby screaming. With a drawn out sigh, she walked out, pausing in the main room only to glance at Antonio’s body. He had barely moved from where she had dropped him; by now he was surely dead. 

Good. Nothing else would be an obstacle for her. 

She continued, following the cries to the master bedroom. She smiled, if a bit sadly, at where the children had ended up. After all that had transpired, the couple’s son still felt safe there. Stupid, but she couldn’t blame him. 

Emilia cracked opened the door, more softly this time. 

“I’m not here to hurt you,” she said, following the cries into the couple’s closet. “I am just here for what’s mine.”

What faint light there was in the room reflected off the boy’s eyes, and though he too was crying, he didn’t say anything. 

“Give me my daughter.” She knelt down, taking the infant away from the boy. 

Almost immediately, relief flooded her. Rosa was safe, and back in her arms. Emilia choked back a sob, holding her daughter close and cooing small comforts. Whatever tragedy befell this family, this had made it worth the struggle. 

With relief replacing the adrenaline, the pain of her shoulder and arm began to burn through and demand her attention. Cursing, Emilia backtracked through the house towards the storage room. 

Now alone, the boy sat stunned from what had just transpired. He hiccuped back his tears, only half registering the distant sounds of Emilia and her child. Had any of this been real? Emilia had been so gentle taking Rosa from him. Such tenderness couldn’t possibly come from someone capable of murder, right?

Finding his bravery, the boy made his way out of the closet, following the sounds of talking and light to the storage room. Peering in, he saw Emilia, packing a bag while cooing at her now calm baby. The sight caused a twist in his belly that he didn’t understand. He had known her before this, she was nice. Her little family was _nice_. And despite everything that had just happened, she sounded just as she had days, weeks, even months ago. He knew his parents would be taking care of her baby while she was gone, so what caused her to slaughter them in their own home?

“Emi?” His voice shook, and he refused to come fully into the light. She paused, hostility flashing in her eyes before her expression softened, realizing who was there. She nodded before returning back to her work. 

“Some things can’t be helped. If you can remember all of this when you’re older, you’ll understand.” She grabbed a few more items from the shelves before lifting Rosa. “You will be ok though. Ah, stay here, sleep in your parents’ bed, and in the morning you can find the neighbors. It is….dangerous to make that walk alone at night.”

She wrapped Rosa in a sling and grabbed the bag before brushing past him. He felt the tears welling in his eyes again, but followed her to the door.

“But who will take care of me?” he sobbed, hoping she wouldn’t leave him there. 

“Someone will take care of you.” She said bluntly, no longer looking at him. “If it had to be my guess, the couple that was supposed to house my sister will take you in.” She paused. “Goodbye Manny.”


End file.
